York Historic Environment Record

An archaeological excavation undertaken by York Archaeological Trust at 3 Driffield Terrace, York (centred on NGR SE 593 510), during 2004, produced a small assemblage of vertebrate remains recovered from a number of Roman features, including a massive pit, a ditch and a number of post-holes and other cut features, together with inhumation and cremation graves from one of York’s principal Roman cemeteries. Pottery and artefactual evidence suggested the activity dated between the 1st and the 4th centuries AD. The vertebrate material included several chicken skeletons, recovered from urns or grave fills which were likely to have been food offerings associated with ritual and funerary activities. Horse remains were prevalent and hind limb skeletal elements representing single individuals (one of which was articulated in situ) were identified. Despite the close association of horse and human remains, a ritual aspect to the deposits cannot be confirmed and the disturbance and redepositing of refuse as graves were dug and backfilled seems a plausible explanation for the presence of the horse bones.